Aribo powers Southampton to end 7-game winless run against Bournemouth

Super Eagles midfielder Joe Aribo showed his class on Wednesday night as Southampton picked up a much-needed victory over Bournemouth in the English Premier League.

Southampton went away to the Vitality Stadium to take on 11th-placed Bournemouth as they sought to record their first league victory since August.

Scotland international Che Adams was the difference maker on the night as Southampton grabbed a slim 1-0 victory to end their winless streak and power them out of the relegation zone.

Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhutl fielded a two-man strike unit of Adams and Adam Armstrong, backed by a midfield quad of Aribo, James Ward-Prowse, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Mohamed Elyounoussi. 

Despite being the away side, Southampton raced out of the blocks faster, dominating the opening exchanges at the Vitality Stadium while Bournemouth looked to contain their guests. 

It did not take long for the Saints to convert their early dominance into a goal as French left-back Romaine Perraud fed Cue Adams the ball in just the 9th minute to send Southampton ahead.

A stung Bournemouth side rallied immediately after conceding but they could get only one (1) of their six (6) first-half shots on target while Southampton continued to dominate possession in the first period at 53%.

With Southampton still in the lead by the 65th minute, Hassenhutl took off Super Eagles midfielder Aribo to bring on Brazilian defender Lyanco in a bid to shore up his team. 

The scores stayed the same till the end of the match as Southampton picked up their first league win since the shock 2-1 victory over Chelsea on August 30.

Joe Aribo was a quiet influence on the match at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night as the Super Eagles striker put in a tidy and uneventful performance.

The 26-year-old Nigeria international had 37 touches of the ball with a pass accuracy of 76% from 19 accurate passes against Bournemouth.

While going forward, Aribo recorded one (1) shot on target, missed one (1) big chance as well as played three (3) long balls.

Defensively, the former Rangers star won five (5) of the seven (7) duels he contested as he broke up Bournemouth's attacking moves in the middle of the park. 

Aribo also recorded three (3) tackles, one (1) clearance, and one (1) interception in an accomplished midfield performance before he was taken off in the 65th minute. 

Southampton will return to action on Sunday, October 23 when they welcome league leaders Arsenal to the St. Mary's Stadium at 2:00 p.m. Nigerian time.